Excavator



Oct. 4, 1932. A, c CLARK ET AL 1,880,807

EXCAVATOR Original Filed Sept. 12, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. AB)C. 62 HIE/6 ART/we L. GRAVE ATTORNEY Oct. 4, 1932. A. c. CLARK ET ALEXCAVATOR Original Filed Sept. 12, 1928 Z Sheets-Sheet RK. R H m m Gm a.A ww rr 2R A Patented Oct. 4, 1932 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARY C.GLARK-AND ARTHUR L. GRAVES, OF IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA; SAID GRAVESASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT, A GOREO RATION 'OF CALIFORNIAEXCAVATOR Original application filed September '12, 1928, 'Serial No.305,450. Divided and this application .filed November 29, 1929.

Our present invention relatesto excavators, or diggers, for making andmaintaining canals or ditches for irrigation purposes.

This application is a'divi'sional application of our copendingapplication for digging bucket construction for excavators, filedSeptember 12th, 1928, Serial No. 305,450.

g The objects of our presentinvention are: first, to provide anexcavator or digger of this class having a very flexibly mounted andreadily shiftable. excavating portion; second,

to provide a machineof this class which has particularly large capacityand which is very efficient, particularly in that thematerials excavatedor dug are easily, rapidly and elliciently dumped or discharged; third,to provide a machine of this class in which the greatest simplicity ofconstruction, strength, and efficiency are incorporated; fourth, toprovide a digging bucket conveyer having buckets from which all or thegreater portion of the materials excavated or dug are dumped clear ofthe machine to the-side of the canal or ditchand from which theremaining materials are discharged at substantially the same place whenand as the buckets continue over their circuitous path; fifth, toprovide supporting means for the digging buckets whereby the buckets aredumped without auxiliary means to aid inthe dumping or discharging ofthe contents of the buckets; sixth, to provide as a whole a novelmounting of such self-dumping buckets on digging conve-yers; seventh, toprovide a novel arrangement of guiding and driving pulleys or sprocketsfor the bucket conveyer whereby the above functions are efiectivelycarried out; and, eighth, to provide a machine of this class which issimple and economical of construction pro portionate to its functions,one which 1s easy to operate and one whichvwill not readily deteriorateor get out of order.

With these and other objects 111 view as will 1 1; appearhereinafter, myinvention consists of certain novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts and portions.

as will be'hereina'fter described in detail and particularly set forthin the appended claim,

" i reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to thecharacters of reference Serial No. 410,458. I i

. thereon which form apart of this application guiding wheels andshowing one of the buckets in the main discharging position, the sectionbeing taken through the longitudinal center of the bucket conveyer; Fig.3 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof taken at 33 of Fig.2 lookinginto the bucketfrom the front side thereof, and Fig. dis a flag mentaryView of the bucket showing its relation to the supporting conveyer, theview being taken at 44 of Fig. 2 looking into the bucket from the inneropen side thereof, certain portions being broken away and insection tofacilitate the illustration. v

Like characters of reference refer to similar parts and portionsthroughout the views 'ofthe drawings. 7 g

The main frame, designated 1, of our excavator is mounted at itsopposite sides on tractors 2 and 3, the latter being extendablelaterally from the main portion of the main frame. Beyond the rear endof the main frame 1 is mounted the excavator or the excavating portionof the machine. The excavating portion of the machine is mounted on aframe 4 which is primarily and loosely and pivotally mounted at one end,preferably at its extreme upper end, on the main frame 1. For sosupporting the frame 4, there is provided-an upright support'5 atthe-rearjportion of the frame 1 and which is'provided at its upper endwith a-backwardly extending extends a cable 9 for supporting and adjusting the elevation of the frame 4.- The sheave 8 is pivotally mounted ona supporting member 10 which is pivotally connected at its lower end ona transverse axis to the pivotal supporting member 11. This pivotal supporting member 11 is pivotally. connected by a pivot shaft 12 topivot'bearings 1a at the upper end of the frame 4, as shown in Fig. 1.

The pivot shaft 12 is preferably extended forwardly to the main frame ofthe machine and is connected to a guide member 13 which is adapted toride upwardly and downwardly on the vertical column of the supportingframe 5. The shaft 12 is therefore adapted to prevent the whole of theframe 4 from swaying forwardly and backwardly as a body. Theconnection-of the shaft 12.to the leg 40 which extends toward the middleportion of the machine, that is, between the tractors 2 and 3. At theouter side of the portion 46 0f the excavating frame are mounted, a

pair of spaced apart conveyer drive sprockets I 15 which may be drivenby any suitable means, such as by a power unit 26 mounted on the frame4. Around these sprockets extend the continuous or endless link belts 16which also extend around spaced apart flanged wheels 17 at the innerside of the frame 4, around other spaced apartflanged wheels 18 at thelower endof the angular leg of the frame 4, and then around a portion ofthe inner side of a dumping wheel which consists of a pair of flangedwheel members 19 spaced axially from each other and mounted on a unitaryshaft. Said dumping wheel is positioned intermediate the drive sprockets15 and the flanged wheels 18 and adjacent the former. These flangedmembers 19;are preferably of larger diameter than the other I flangedwheels. The portions of thelink belts 16 extending from the dumpingmembers 19 to the sprockets 15 are preferably inclined downwardly andoutwardly so that the buckets 20 carried by the link belts arecorrespondingly tilted as the same pass over the dumpingwheel and alongthe inclined portions of the belt. It will be here noted that theextreme tilting of the buckets takes place while the buckets aresubstantially supported by the wheel members 19.

The buckets 20 are preferably of thin shells having lateralside walls20a, a bottom wall 20?) inclined backwardly and inwardly, and a backwall 200. Both the front side and the inner side, that is, the sideopposite the bottom wall 20?), are open, as shown best in Figs. 2, 3 and4. The front edges of .the bottom wall and the side walls arereenforce dand turned outwardly to facilitate the digging operation. 4 Y i Thesebuckets are positioned in relatively close relation to each otherandsupported on and between the pair of spaced apart continuous conveyerbelts 16 which are in the form of link belts and which ride, except forthe drive sprockets 15, upon the several pairs of wheels 17,18 and 19,which are flanged wheels, asshown bestin Figs. 2, 3 'and4. The linkbelts, in this instance, are made up of U-shaped links 16a, the ends ofthe legs of one link extendingto the opposite sides of the connectingportion of" the legs of the next link and are pivotally connected insuch relation by belts or rivets. Some of the links are provided at theinner sides of the. ends of their legs with inwardly'extendin'g bosses16?) upon which the forward and inner portions of the buckets arepivotally .mounted. For pivotally connecting and mounting the buck? etsV on the. link belts, we have provided brackets 21 which are secured tothe outer sides of the side walls20c and near their inner edges, asshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The forward ends of these brackets are provided with bosses 21a whichextend around the bosses 16b of the links. The bosses 21a are retainedin pivotal relation on the bosses 1612 by the bolts 22 which also serveas the pivotal connection of the links provided withthe boss 16?) andthe links positioned .betweenthe legs of the former. The bracketsbuckets and are providedwith longitudinal 21 extend beyond the rearportions of the slots 21?), the slots being substantially parallel tothe upper orjinner edges of the corresponding buckets. ,The oppositesides of the slots 21b, that is, the walls forming the opposite sides ofsuch'slots', are straight and flat while. the ends of the slots arebeveled inwardly from theopposite side of the slotted portion, asindicatedby -2l0in Figs. 2 and 4. I The link belts 16 are, provided withbeing positioned several links back of those having the bosses 16b. Thebosses 160 are constructed similar to the bosses 166' and have the samerelation to the links of the link belt conveyer. The bosses 16cextendthrough the slots 21?) and are adapted to slide therein, saidbosses being. retained in position with respect to the brackets 21 bybolts 24which extend through the bosses 160 and also serve ios otherlinks having bosses 160, the latter links as the pivotal connection ofthe links provided with the bosses 16c and the linksposi.tioned'forwardly.thereof or between the legs ofthe former. Between theheads or nuts of the bolts 24 and the inner sides of the brackets 21,are positioned washers 23 which engage the inner sides of saidbracketsadjacent said slots 'l' e I V Thus, if any mud or othermaterials are caught in the slots 21b, them udjmay. be forced betweenthe ends'of the slots and the bosses 160 and is automatically ejected bythe inclined walls at .the'ends of the slots. The purpose of'the slots21?) is to permit the bucket to be securely supported at all times cupon the link belt as the same ride around the several drive sprocketsand supporting wheels without necessitating the use of innumerable linksor complicated mechanism for yieldingly supporting the buckets on thelink belts as the same pass around their multicurved circuitous paths.

As the buckets pass between the wheel mernbers 19, the same aresubstantially tilted, as shown, causing all or the greater portion ofthe contents of the buckets to be discharged to the side of a ditch dugor cleaned. If any materials remain in the bucket, the same are carriedaround the drive sprockets and dumped through the inner opening of thebucket as the bucket is instantly leveled out after passing the upperportion of the drive sprockets, the discharge of the remaining materialsbeing at substantially the same place as the formerly dischargedmaterial.

Though we have shown and described a particular construction,combination and ar rangement of parts and portions, we do not wish to belimited tothis particular 0on struction, combination and arrangement,but desire to include in the scope of our invention the construction,combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appendedclaim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

In an excavator of the class described, an

excavator frani'e a luralit of conve er belt supporting wheels revolublymounted on said frame, one wheel being mounted at the lower excavatingend of the frame, a second wheel being mounted at the upper and oppositeend of said frame, and a dumping wheel mounted between the two firstmentioned wheels and adjacent the second wheel, a conveyer beltextending around the outer portions of the first wheel and around theinner portion of the dumping wheel, the portion of the belt extendingbetween the second and the dumping wheels extending substantiallyoutwardly, and a plurality of digging buckets mounted in spaced relationon said belt, said buckets being directly pivotally and slidably mountedon said belt and adapted to discharge the contents thereof whenpassingover said dumping wheel, said dumping wheel comprising a pair of axiallyspaced wheel member's mounted on a shaft, said buckets passing betweenthe wheel members and around and over the shaft when passing over thedumping wheel.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Los Angeles,California, this 20th day of November, 1929.

ARY C. CLARK. ARTHUR L. GRAVES.

